Did Charlie Really Die?
by mabs39
Summary: As everyone knows by now, our favourite Character Charlie has died, which I think was a bad mistake, that the producer made, this is my version of how the story should have gone, it won't make much sense yet, but trust me it will.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1 **

**I wasn't happy that they killed Charlie off in H & A because it now means she can't come back, they should have chosen a storyline that would have left it open for her to return, killing her off when she had made the show more popular since appearing over 3 years ago was a big mistake and, I'm sure there are many other fans who feel the same. This is my version of what I think should have happened now on H&A regarding Charlie's death, there is no actual story lines from H & A, it's just from my own imagination. Hope you like it. ;-)**

It was 2 weeks since Charlie's funeral and Brax was drinking himself to oblivion, because he may have been a bad boy, but he did love Charlie and would have done anything to have her back, but he knew that wasn't going to happen and, he needed something to concentrate on to take his mind off losing Charlie, he called Heath to tell him to arrange a meeting with all the river boys back at home, he said would meet them there, in an hour because there was something he had to do first.

Ruby was holding up quite well, but truthfully she was hiding how she really felt because Casey had enough on his plate with Brax, Ruby and Brax hadn't spoken since his outburst at the wake of Charlie's funeral and Ruby had no intention of doing so, at the moment because what she said was true he put Charlie's life at risk the moment he pursued her. Ruby decided to stay in the bay with Casey and commute to and from the city, which was Leah and Morag's idea because they didn't want her to be on her own everyone else was struggling too, but they wanted to support Ruby and be there for her, when she was ready to talk, but she was being stubborn like her mother and hiding her feelings.

Ruby was at home studying the paperwork age had been sent from the college she was going to she had decided that she would continue her plan and do the course in being a social worker because she knew that Charlie would have wanted her to follow her dream, when there was a knock at the back door, Ruby got up to go and see who it was, when she opened the door to see Brax standing she told him she didn't want to see him, but he asked her to hear him out and pushed his way in, Ruby told him she wasn't interested in anything he had say, he pleaded with her to let him speak, a tear rolled down his face, Ruby felt herself welling up to and they stared at each other, Brax walked up to Ruby and pulled her in to hug where they both cried, after a short while Brax said he was so sorry for what happened at Charlie's funeral, that what Ruby has said was true, if it hadn't been for him Charlie would still be alive he knew there was no excuse for the way he behaved, he was just really upset, Ruby said didn't he think she was, also after all Charlie was her mum, Brax said he missed Charlie so much, Ruby said she did too and she knew Charlie wouldn't want them fighting with each other, Brax agreed and apologised again for what he had said, Ruby said she was happy to accept his apology, Brax told Ruby things were going to change from now on. Ruby wanted to ask how, but was afraid of what Brax would reply so she decided not to say anything, because she knew it was probably illegal knowing Brax, that despite telling Charlie he had left his criminal past behind him, that he wouldn't, but if she didn't know anything about it she could be implicated.

Brax said he had to go, before he left he asked Ruby to stop by his house later to see Casey because he knew Casey would like that, as he had been worried about her, Ruby said he was worried about him as well, Brax said not anymore everything was going to be ok and, they needed to support each other through this, Ruby agreed, Brax hugged Ruby again telling her Charlie would have been proud of her.

Back at the Braxton house, Heath was pacing wondering what Brax wanted a meeting with the boys for, Casey was telling him that maybe it was to tell them from now on they had to stay within the law, Heath asked Casey if he was really that naïve to think that they would stay within the law, that wasn't what they were about and the needed to get their reputation back.

Brax turned up a short while later, with beers for the boys, he told Casey to go and see Ruby and he was to stay there until he told him it was ok to come home and he was to bring Ruby back with him, Casey asked if he was stupid because Ruby wasn't even talking to him, Brax told him it was all fine, that he had sorted things out with Ruby and had apologised for the things he said to her and, they were all good now. Casey was happy that Brax and Ruby were talking again Brax threw his Ute keys to Casey so he could drive over to Ruby's.

Once Casey had left Heath asked Brax to explain what was going on, Brax told Heath all in good time, that they should have a drink first, Heath complained that Brax had done nothing but drink for the past two weeks since the Sergeant Buckton had died, Brax agreed but said that everything was going to change from now on.

After having had a few beers Brax told Heath and the boys that they had to get the business going again, but first they needed to find a safe place to stash everything but make sure that it wasn't suspicious because he knew that the cops would be watching his every move at the moment because of what happened to Charlie, that the police would be waiting for him to seek revenge on Jake, he told Heath that this was where he now had to be responsible because he wanted him to take care of things, Heath assured Brax he would take care of everything and welcomed Brax back to the River Boys. Brax went on to explain that he wanted to take Geoffrey King down because he didn't like the idea of him muscling in on his patch, the boys agreed and told Brax they would keep an eye on his activities and report back in a few days.

The boys left leaving Brax and Heath alone, Heath asked Brax if he was really up for this, Brax said he was that Charlie dying had made him realise that you have to take chances while you can because when you die that's the end. Heath told Brax that from now on it was them against the world Brax said he would drink to that, Heath told Brax he wasn't to fall for any cops again, Brax said that will most definitely not be happening ever again, Heath said that realistically it was never going to work, Charlie would always be in cop mode, even if she had quit and, he would have struggled to stay on the right side of the law, Brax told Heath he was wrong, he would have done anything for Charlie and right now would have gladly swapped places with her, because he missed her so much, Heath said that once he got back into the swing of things he would soon forget Charlie, Brax said that will never happen, that he would love Charlie for as long as he lived.

Casey was at Ruby's telling her he was worried what Brax would do, that he had never seem him this cut up about a girl before that he really did love Charlie and would now be seeking revenge, Ruby told him that Brax could take care of himself that he had to stop worrying about Brax all the time that he had to live his life that it is what Brax would want, Casey said he knew that but he was his brother and it didn't stop him worrying, Ruby said at the moment Brax couldn't do anything stupid because the cops would be watching him, Casey said that worried him more because Brax would get Heath to take care of things, Ruby said Heath was big enough to take care of himself and was on licence so wouldn't be stupid enough to do anything that would land him straight back in jail, Casey said he hoped Ruby was right.

They decided to go to the beach to take their mind off things for a little while at least, it had been a very tough couple of weeks which had effected them both in different ways, but as long as they had each other nothing else mattered for now. They bumped into Colleen who asked Ruby how she was holding up without her mother, Ruby told her she was fine considering, Colleen went on to try and say how sad it was that Charlie lost her life like that, Casey told her Ruby didn't really need to go over it again, Colleen was about to reply but Ruby said she was fine, that she just needed time to grieve in her own time. Colleen reluctantly let Casey and Ruby walk away, Casey asked Ruby if she was ok and Ruby said she was that Colleen didn't mean any harm, she was just being kind in her own way.

They both sat down and Ruby stared out to the sea, but didn't say anything, Casey put his arm around Ruby and just let stare and didn't say anything.

Ruby then mentioned about how when Charlie and her first came to Summer Bay Charlie hated it so much she was obnoxious and pretty much upset everyone she met, she told her to give the place a chance and Charlie would see what a wonderful place it was and she did, every day she would go out for a run and told Ruby just how much she loved the place, she would quite often sit on the beach just looking out to the sea for hours, so Ruby was surprised when she decided that she was going to leave, because she didn't think she would ever leave, Casey said yeah, but she met my brother and everything changed, Ruby agreed saying that Charlie fell for Brax in a big way, Casey said Brax loved Charlie just as much as she did him, Ruby replied saying that Jake had taken it all away from them, by shooting Charlie, tears rolled down her face, so Casey hugged her tighter whilst she cried, he didn't say anything because he knew no words could take away Ruby's pain right now, all he could do was comfort her and be there for her whilst she dealt with it, he knew she would talk to him in her own time.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

**Thanks for the reviews. ;-) **

Heath and Brax are in the restaurant talking about being back in business and how things were good again, when Geoffrey King walked in with 2 minders in tow, Brax cheekily asked if there was anything he could do for him, Geoffrey told him not to play silly games with him that he knew exactly what he was doing there and that he had better stay off his patch or else, Brax pretended he didn't know what he was talking about, but Geoffrey didn't buy it and warned him he would pay a big price for crossing him, if he didn't do as he was told, Brax still pretended he had no idea what he was talking about, but told him if he did he would let him know. Geoffrey told him he had been warned then left, his 2 minders glared at both Brax and Heath, Brax thanked them for dropping by.

After Geoffrey had left, Brax told Heath they needed to be careful because Geoffrey wouldn't let things go that easily and would try and go after Casey or their mother, Heath said Ruby was at risk too, now that her and Casey were an item and, they didn't want a repeat of what happened to the Sergeant Buckton, that it might be an idea if Casey moved in with Ruby for the time being, Brax said he would talk to Leah, but it might be better if they both left summer bay for a couple of weeks until things died down. Brax said he would tell their mother to skip town for a while too.

Leah was working in the restaurant when Brax walked in and asked if he could have a word, Brax asked if Casey could stay at her house for a few weeks, quite obviously Leah wanted to know why, Brax told her he wasn't coping too well without Charlie and didn't think it was fair to put that burden on to Casey, when he was already worried about Ruby, Leah was a bit reluctant at first but Brax said it would be only temporary until he sorted himself out, Leah agreed, he asked her if she would suggest it to both Casey and Ruby so it didn't look like it was his idea, Leah still wasn't sure if she believed Brax or not but agreed to it being only temporary because whilst she told Ruby she could stay for as long as she liked despite Charlie not being there, she hadn't intended for Casey to move on as well.

Just as Brax was leaving Casey and Ruby came in they told Brax they had been looking for him, Brax asked why, they asked if it was ok if he went with Ruby to the City for a couple of days to give Ruby a chance to settle into college, before commuting there each day, this was just what Brax wanted because it meant that Casey and Ruby wouldn't be around if Geoffrey King started anything, so he said yes and asked where they would be staying, Ruby told him she had spoken to Morag who offered for them to stay with her, that she had been asking Ruby to stay with her for a few days anyway, because she was worried about her, that was just perfect for Brax because he knew they would be safe with Morag, so he readily agreed asking Casey to drop by the restaurant before they left to say goodbye.

Brax left and Ruby told Leah she was staying with Morag for a few days, Leah said that was a good idea, that she had been through a lot and a break would do them both good, she asked Casey if he wanted to move in when they got back and Ruby was surprised because she never even thought about it, Casey replied, that he would if it was what Ruby wanted, he looked at Ruby who at first wasn't sure but then thought about her mother's phobia of commitment and said yes, Leah said she would see how it went.

They left to go and pack, Casey asked if Ruby was sure she wanted him to move in, because if she wasn't he would totally understand, Ruby told him she had watched Charlie make so many mistakes over the years when it came to making any sort of commitment, she wasn't going to do the same Casey said that didn't answer his question as to whether or not she wanted him to move in with her, Ruby said she loved him and couldn't think of any other reason not to, he told her that was the answer he was looking for, and smiled she kissed him and finished packing, they then went to his house to pack his things.

Heath turned at the Restaurant up to talk to tell Brax the deal was on, Brax said good the sooner we wipe the smile off Geoffrey's face the better, he was going to find out that River boys do not take kindly to being pushed around, Heath asked if he had sorted things out regarding Casey and Ruby, Brax said he had, that it couldn't have worked out any better, that Morag had asked Ruby to stay for a few days whilst she settled into college and Casey could go too, Heath said that was just perfect, he then asked about their mum, Brax said she took a bit of persuading, complaining about not being able to get time off work just like that so he had to sort that out, plus their mum wasn't stupid she knew something was going on, but he promised her everything would be fine, but she didn't buy it, Heath said their mum wasn't as stupid as they thought she was, she probably knew more about what they were up too than they did, they both laughed.

Ruby and Casey were arguing over how much stuff she was taking to Morag's and Ruby told Casey he had a lot to learn about living with a woman, he told her it would be worth it if it meant spending more time with her, Ruby said she was glad to hear it.

They arrived at the diner to get some sandwiches for the drive to Morag's and to say goodbye to Leah, she told Ruby to have a great time, that Charlie would be so proud of her if she could see her now, Ruby just smiled and remembered that her mum was no longer there to offer her any support or encouragement, but she hoped she would be proud of her. Ruby and Casey said goodbye and Leah asked Casey asfter Ruby walked away, to keep an eye on Ruby because she was worried that she might not be coping losing Charlie as well as she was making out she was, Casey told Leah he would take care of Ruby that he knew Ruby wasn't as strong as she made out she was, Leah told Casey, Ruby was lucky to have him in her life right now, Casey disagreed saying it was he who was the lucky one.

Casey told Ruby they had to see Brax before they left too, when they walked in the restaurant Brax was waiting for them, he told them to be safe and be happy Ruby asked what he mean by that, Brax said that after what happened to Charlie he didn't want anything to happen to them, Casey said it wouldn't that Jake was in jail so everything would be fine now.

Brax asked Ruby if she would go and wait in the car he just needed to tell Casey something important, Ruby left them to it.

Once Ruby was out of ear shot Brax told Casey he wanted him to keep Ruby safe, Casey asked what was going on because Leah said the same thing, Brax told him nothing he was just looking out for Ruby, Casey looked at him and said I knew when he was hiding something, Brax told him it was better he didn't know, but he wanted him to know everything would be all good. Casey said nothing was ever good where he was concerned, Brax asked Casey to trust him and that when they went outside he wanted him to have a go at him and make it look real as possible and he wasn't to tell Ruby, Casey agreed but didn't understand why.

They went outside and Casey had a go at Brax like Brax asked him too, he told him he was threw with his lies and sick of him treating him like an idiot, he could see Geoffrey King watching them whilst Casey carried on throwing insults at him, which then led to Casey saying he was leaving, Brax pretended to stop him, but Casey carried on with the lie, got in Ruby's car which was Charle's but as Charlie wasn't here it was now Ruby's, Casey told Ruby to drive and Brax run after the car pretending to try and stop him, Geoffrey King couldn't help but dig the knife in and told Brax he had a habit if upsetting people and reminded him of his earlier warning, Brax shouted at Geoffrey King saying he had no idea what he was talking about and he was to stay away from him.

Morag was on the phone when Ruby and Casey arrived, Ruby had her own key so she let herself in hearing the tail end of Morag's conversation saying that she understood, that no one must find out the truth, because of the dangers of what would happen if they did, she then said not realising Ruby was listening that Ruby was here now so she had to go, Ruby wondered what Morag was talking about, at the end of the call Morag said she would meet whoever she was talking too, as planned.

When Morag got off the phone Morag was startled to find Ruby was right behind her, Ruby asked who she was talking to and Morag lied telling her it was Leah that she was worried about her that was all, little did Morag know Ruby didn't buy it.

Morag told Ruby and Casey to make, themselves at home that she needed to go and see a client but she would be back in time for dinner.

After she left Ruby dragged Casey off to follow her.

**Next time you find out who Morag goes to meet. ;-)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**Thanks for the reviews, hope you like this Chapter. There is only going to be about another 2 chapters after this maybe 3 at the most ;-) **

Morag pulls up her in car at a clinic outside of town not realising Ruby had followed her, Ruby took after her mother in that respect Charlie was always suspicious and acted on Instinct, which is why she made a good Police Officer and, Ruby was the same, but had chosen a different career path to her mother's.

Detective Inspector Robert Robertson was waiting for Morag to arrive, neither knew Ruby and Casey were watching them and listening to what they said to each other, Casey asked Ruby what they were doing following Morag when she was meeting that detective guy who he had seen around the bay, Ruby told Casey to trust her that there was something odd about the phone call Morag had when they arrived, Ruby said when she asked her who was on the phone because she mentioned Ruby, Morag told her it was Leah, but she seemed nervous when she realised Ruby was there listening and, couldn't leave quick enough, Casey told Ruby he thought she imagined it, Ruby said well if that's true then it won't hurt to look, Casey asked Ruby what she was expecting to find, Ruby said she wasn't sure yet, but asked Casey to trust her, he said ok, but they needed to be careful they didn't get caught.

DI Robertson told Morag she was awake and that they could go straight in to see her, as soon as they were ready, Morag asked him to lead the way.

Ruby looked at Casey and asked him did he not think that it was a little odd Morag should be meeting DI Robertson, Casey said no not really, Ruby said it was because, they didn't't even like each other, he called Morag Battleship, because of her reputation as a lawyer. Casey said it didn't mean anything, Ruby said they were up to something and she was going to prove it.

Both Morag and Detective Robert walked inside where they were met by a doctor, Ruby and Casey could see this because they moved closer to get a better look.

The doctor told Morag and DI Robertson to follow her to a room down the corridor, to wherever they were going.

Ruby and Casey had to wait outside for now, so they couldn't see exactly where Morag and DI Robertson went, Ruby told Casey she had to get inside that Clinic to see what was going on, Casey thought it was a very bad idea, Ruby asked Casey to trust her and help her get inside, she asked him to distract the receptionist whilst she went and looked for Morag, Casey agreed but wasn't happy.

The doctor told Morag and DI Robertson that the person they were seeing had been asking a lot of questions, DIRobertson told the doctor not to worry everything would be explained to the patient now.

They walked into a room and there was Charlie and she was pretty much alive and on the mend, Detective Inspector Robertson told her it was good to see her alive and getting stronger, that soon she would be able to go home.

Charlie asked what was going on, why was she there and where was Ruby. DI Robertson told her all in good time, but she had to listen very carefully and do exactly as he said, he asked Charlie to confirm that she understood what he was saying, she said she did.

He told her first firstly she hadn't resigned from the force as she thought, her resignation was destroyed and Inspector Joyce was told to say nothing, to Charlie he was to act normal that the idea was that Charlie was technically undercover although she didn't know it, Charlie said she didn't follow, DI Robertson said that they had been keeping a close eye on Brax and his brother Heath for some time they knew that Charlie and Brax were in a relationship a long time before she had to say she was, even Inspector Joyce was part of the plan, his role was to play along to see what happened, they thought that by Charlie seeing Brax it would lead to her finding out what illegal activities he and his gang were up to, which is why she never received a reprimand for seeing him, because they did not want anything to go wrong, that despite him telling Charlie he was finished with the River Boys, he hadn't he just got clever at hiding it, Charlie said she didn't believe it, Morag told Charlie not to be so naive, Brax was never going to change he needed money even more so, if they were moving to the city.

DI Robertson told Charlie they knew that Brax stole the missing evidence linking him to the Petrol Station Robbery and it was she who tipped him off, because they confirmed it from her phone records and Brax's, Charlie looked worried, DI Robertson told Charlie not to looked so worried that they were more interested in finding out other things so they went through the internal investigation process just so it did not arouse any suspicion. Charlie asked how was this going to pan out, DI Robertson said that when they had enough evidence they were going to tell her what was going on to give her a chance get out while she could without Brax ever knowing she was undercover, but Heath on the other hand wasn't happy about Brax moving the business to the City where Brax believed would have made things less obvious what they were doing, so he contacted Geoffrey King asking him to help, stop Brax from leaving, which again had been confirmed by phone records, Geoffrey King paid Jake Pirovic to shoot Charlie, because the day after she was shot a very large sum of money was paid into his bank account, which he denies knowing anything about but, one of Geoffrey Kings associates visited him a week before he struck a deal for early release, they only found out about it the day Charlie was shot, but it was too late to warn her because by the time, they tried to call her warn her she had already been shot. Charlie asked if Heath would really sell his own brother out the Geoffrey King, DI Roberson said yes he did, Charlie asked if she was collateral damage, because Heath didn't to be on his own, Morag said it looked that way.

Charlie looked completely shocked and hurt by everything that DI Robertson had told her, she said that she couldn't understand why Heath would do that to her, Morag said because he wanted her out of the way. Charlie knew what the answer was going to be but she had to know anyway, she asked if they all thought she was dead, Detective Inspector Robertson said he was sorry, but yes they do all think she died, Charlie wanted to know how, Morag asked if she was sure she wanted to hear that, Charlie said yes, she wanted to hear everything.

DI Robertson said that Jake shot her that definitely happened, Brax, Ruby and Casey found her that happened, when they found her she wasn't breathing but by the time she got to hospital she was. When they got the call to say she had been shot Inspector Joyce raced to the hospital so he could instruct Doctor Walker what was going to happen, Charlie asked what was to happen, Detective Inspector Robertson told her, Doctor Walker was to do everything he could to save her except he had to make it look like they had done all they could and Ruby had to be told Charlie was brain dead but she wasn't, in order to make it look realistic, Doctor Walker had to give her medication that would slow her heart down so that it looked like she had died, Ruby was told that because she was Charlie's next of kin she had to decide to turn the life support off, Doctor Walker had to persuade her was the right thing to do, which she agreed to, but then Brax tried to stop them turning off the life support machine even locking himself in her room with a gun, until Casey persuaded him that Charlie was already dead when Jake had shot her but she hadn't, they had put her in am induced coma so there was no risk she would wake up, so when they removed the ventilator and the life support machine showed Charlie's heart had stopped beating, that's when the medication kicked in and Ruby and Brax believed Charlie had died, but she hadn't they then waited a little while to give Ruby and Brax a chance to say goodbye they then told them they needed to prepare Charlie for the mortuary, which neither Brax or Ruby questioned, they never saw her again and that is when Charlie was moved to this clinic so no one knew anything and all concerned now think Charlie has died.

Charlie had tears in her eyes at the thought of Ruby having to deal with all that on her own. Morag tried to offer some comfort by telling Charlie what was done was for the right reasons.

Charlie asked what would have happened if she had died, DI Robertson said it was a risk yes, but it was a risk worth taking to save her life so now they can concentrate on getting her as far away as possible so she can start a new life somewhere else, and the hospital agreed to do all this Charlie asked, Morag said Doctor Walker said it was dangerous, but when he was told how serious it was, he agreed, Charlie wanted to know if she had any choice and Morag said no, if she wanted to make sure Ruby stayed safe then she had to do exactly as they said.

Just then the door to Charlie's room opened and in walked Ruby who had been listening at the door, DI Robertson told her she shouldn't be there, but Ruby wasn't having it and asked for someone to tell her this wasn't happening, Charlie apologised to Ruby that she had to suffer like she had on her own, but she had no say in anything that happened. Ruby walked over to Charlie and hugged her saying how good it was to see her, Charlie told Ruby that she couldn't tell anyone not even Casey because both their lives would be at risk if she did, that no one must know she is alive, not ever.

DI Robertson asked Ruby to sit down and listen to what Charlie said, she looked at Charlie who nodded for her to do as DI Robertson said, he asked her exactly what she heard, Ruby replied telling him she had pretty much heard everything, that she knew she had to do what they said even though she didn't like it, DI Robertson said that was good, that she could never tell anyone that Charlie was alive she had to play along if she wanted to keep herself and her mother safe, Ruby said she knew that. Ruby said she would tell Casey she thought she heard Charlie but she was mistaken, that Morag had gone to see a client like she said she was, Charlie told Ruby that she couldn't say that, Ruby said she would have to because she would be upset and Casey would want to know why, DI Robertson said Ruby had to say goodbye to Charlie and forget she saw her and she wasn't to ever go back to the clinic again.

Both Charlie and Ruby said tearful goodbyes, Charlie told Ruby to always do whatever made her happy and that she now had to live her life, that she was proud of her and would always be thinking of her, Ruby said she would Charlie too, when they finally parted after hugging each other, Ruby told Charlie she loved her, she even called her mum, tears rolled down both their faces, Morag told Ruby she had to go that she would go with her, she told Charlie to be safe wherever she was, Charlie asked Morag to always look out for Ruby, Morag said Charlie didn't have to worry she would.

DI Robertson told Charlie that Detective Sergeant Williams would be picking her up to take her to the Airport where she will be taking a flight to a destination that will be given to her when DS Williams takes her to the Airport, she will also be given a brand new identity and that Morag had opened her account with some money to help her settle in her new life, he said he had to go too, but told Charlie not to worry about Ruby she will be just fine. He wasn't his usual sarcastic self, he was actually serious for once.

Charlie cried when shte realised she was now going to be all alone, at least Ruby had her friends who would support her, Charlie didn't even have that now, but she knew it was the only way to ensure Ruby and her safety and, maybe sometime in the future they would find each other again.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

**Thanks for the reviews ;-)**

Ruby and Casey drove back to Morag's, Morag pulled up a short while later, Casey asked Ruby if she was ok, because she never said anything when she left the clinic with Morag, Ruby told him she was fine, she was wrong to follow Morag and had made a fool of herself, which Casey didn't argue with and pointed he had told her it was a bad idea, Morag told Casey Ruby knew it was a mistake, but she was prepared to let it go with everything that Ruby had been through lately.

Brax got a phone call from Heath saying the deal was on that night, Brax said that was good the sooner they got this over with the better then they could get Geoffrey King out of their lives for good. As soon as Brax got off the phone, Brax called someone else to say the deal was on that he would let them know the exact time when he knew himself.

Later Ruby was still a bit quiet and, Morag had to tell her after sending Casey to get takeaway for dinner, that she had to deal with this, that they had to stick to the plan, for all their sakes, Ruby said she knew, she just felt bad for what Charlie had to go that's was all, Morag told her that Charlie would be fine, she wouldn't want Ruby worrying about her, Ruby said she knew and she would be ok, but she couldn't help missing her though, Morag said they could not talk about it anymore just in case someone heard them, which would then put Charlie's life in danger again, which in turn put would their life in danger too, Ruby agreed and told Morag she would be ok, Morag told her she knew she had Casey to support her, but she would be there for her too.

The police turned up at the restaurant asking Brax if he knew where Heath was, Brax said no he didn't, they asked Brax to call them if he called or showed up, Brax asked why they wanted to speak to him and, they told him, that they needed to ask him some questions about Charlie's shooting, Brax asked why would Heath know anything about that, the police told him that Heath had called Geoffrey King a few weeks before and then an associate visited Jake Pirovic in jail a week before he got himself released, then the day after Charlie shot a large sum of money ended in his bank account, Brax said there was no way Heath would be involved, the police said that is what they needed to find out.

When they left Brax was really angry, he couldn't believe Heath would do that, he knew Heath didn't like the fact he was moving to the city with Charlie and Ruby, but surely not enough to want to her her or him, but then he thought about how Heath reacted when he found out Brax was going with Charlie to the City, he wasn't happy about it and even refusing to speak to Brax or Charlie. Brax decided that he brother was capable of hurting if it meant he wouldn't be leaving him behind.

He called Heath and demanded he get to the restaurant as soon as possible Heath said he couldn't because the deal was on and Brax needed to meet him down at the Wharf, Brax said he didn't care he needed to see him right now, he downed a few whiskies before Hath turned up to get himself fired up to have it out with Heath and this time he would not be listening to any excuses.

Heath walked in and told Brax the deal was off, because Geoffrey King had been arrested, Brax said that was the least of his problems, he walked up to him and, punched him in the face knocking him onto the floor, Heath touched his lip which was bleeding and, asked Brax why he hit him, Brax shouted at Heath to get up, Heath asked what was going on, Brax told him to get up, which Heath did and Brax hit him again, knocking him flying into some tables, Heath asked Brax what was going on, getting up again, Brax was about to hit Heath again, but Heath stopped him and they started pushing each other, until Brax had Heath pinned up against the wall, Brax told Heath if he wasn't his brother he would kill him, Heath asked what for, Brax said he already knew what for, and asked why, Heath asked what, Brax said he had lost Charlie because of him, Heath said Jake shot Charlie not him, Brax said, that Jake was paid by Geoffrey king to shot Charlie, Heath said he had no idea about that, Brax called him a liar that the police know everything that he had spoken to Geoffrey King then a couple of weeks later Charlie is killed, Heath said he didn't know they were going to kill her, Brax was furious and hit Heath again, Heath said Charlie was no good for him she was a pig and, taking him away from his family also from what he knew and had tried to change him, Brax said it was about time Heath grew up and stood on his own 2 feet, instead of expecting him to bail him out all the time, Brax asked if he hated Charlie that much that he wanted her dead, Heath said not dead no, just out of the way, Brax said he loved Charlie and would have done anything for her they were supposed to have been starting a new life together, Heath said except going straight, Brax was about hit Heath again when the police walked in and arrested them both.

At the police station Heath said he didn't want to press Charges against Brax, so Brax was released, he told Heath he hoped he rotted in jail because after what he did, he never wanted to see him again as they were no longer family it was time he sorted out his own life and paid for his mistakes.

Casey asked Ruby what happened at the clinic, later when they went to bed, because he couldn't help but notice how upset she looked when she came out with Morag, Ruby said she didn't want to talk about it, but Casey told her she could trust him, he wouldn't say anything to anyone, Ruby wasn't sure but Casey wouldn't give up, so she told him she thought it was Charlie that Morag was seeing, but she was mistaken, Casey said that Charlie died, he was there too when the life support showed Charlie's heart not beating anymore, Ruby said she just missed her so much, Casey said he knew and couldn't imagine what it was like for her to lose her mum like that, but he would be there for her no matter what, Ruby kissed Casey good night and turned over, she couldn't help but worry about Charlie, when she thought that Casey was asleep she allowed herself to cry telling Charlie she loved her, Casey thought Ruby talking to her mum, was something he would have to get used to for a while, that it would take time for Ruby to get over losing her mum and, all he could do for now was be there for her and Brax, he didn't know how to take away their pain, this was something they would both have to work out on their own, all he could do was listen when they were ready to talk about it.

Charlie was thinking about Ruby and hoped she would be ok without her around, she hoped Casey would stand by her, be there to support her because Ruby would need it, it was hard enough for her, when she thought Charlie had died for which Charlie felt bad that Ruby had to go through that, but now Ruby knew Charlie was alive, Charlie hoped that Ruby understood she couldn't tell anyone ever.

It went through Charlie's mind what DI Robertson had told her about how she was shot, she was angry with Heath for wanting to hurt her like that and his own brother, but not as angry as she was with Brax for lying to her telling her he had left his bad boy image behind him, when he hadn't, he was just moving it with them to the City where he thought he was less likely to get caught and to think she had given up so much for him, even risked getting fired from the job she loved so much, but after telling Brax where evidence would be linking him to the Petrol station Robbery, so he could steal it, which made Charlie realise she couldn't carry on being a police officer because she felt bad at risking one of her own colleagues career as well as her own and that made her feel really guilty, that she was stupid enough to get sucked into Brax's lies, even after asking him if staying with him would mean living further outside the law, he assured her he had changed and wouldn't hurt her, yet he had more than she could think about, he had cheated on her twice and even laundered drug money through the restaurant and still told her he had changed but he hadn't, he just more clever at lying to her.

She had made some pretty stupid mistakes when it came to relationships but getting involved with Daryl Braxton beat them all, she thought of all the people she had been involved with and out of all of them Joey was probably the only one whose love for Charlie was completely genuine there was no false promises, or lies from Joey she was honest and sincere about her feelings for Charlie, Joey had given herself completely to Charlie, but Charlie blew all that, by sleeping with Hugo, which Joey might have forgiven her for, if she had been honest about what she had done and, explained the reasons why which were because she was confused about her feelings and, afraid of how people would treat her if they knew she was Bisexual, she hoped it would just all go away and Joey would never find out, but she did, Charlie thought about the look of hate on Joey's face after she found out that, the only person she trusted had betrayed her , then when she left, Charlie was heartbroken and, even though Joey told her she would only be away for 3 months, Charlie knew she wasn't coming back, which is why she ended up back with Angelo, but he wasn't any good either he was too needy and put too much pressure on her to commit to him and living with him was a mistake, because she only agreed because he told her he nearly cheated on her, but she knew it was never going to work and was relieved when Angelo pulled the plug on their relationship.

There was also Roman, he had been sincere when they first got together but he never loved her, he was in love with Martha, which hurt Charlie at the time, but she realised after they split up, she didn't love him and it would never have worked, so he was right to have ended things, otherwise she would have met and, fell in love with Joey.

Then she met River Boys gang leader Daryl Braxton, he was cheeky, Charming and very good looking, Charlie tried to fight it, when he showed an interest in her, she busied herself by trying to find evidence to arrest him, when she couldn't find any, she decided to give into his charm. It was just sex to start with, it was exciting sneaking around because it wouldn't have helped if Charlie's superiors knew about her secret affair with a known criminal, little did Charlie know that her superiors knew all along about her liaison with Brax, then it became more than that and, Charlie actually believed she loved him and thought he loved her too, but he loved his criminal activities more, Charlie thought about what Morag said about her being naive to think Brax had changed and how stupid she felt, but she was paying for it now and despite feeling stupid, Brax thought she had died so he would probably feel guilty for the rest of his life thinking that because of his criminal activities his girlfriend was killed, and she too was paying for his mistakes because she had to leave the life behind that she knew and start a new one somewhere else with a new identity, which terrified Charlie but there was nothing she could do about it now the decision was taken out of her hands and she had to accept it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

**Once again thanks for the reviews I really appreciate it, hope you like this last chapter, which isn't a very long chapter, but I hope you like it anyway.**

A few days later, Ruby and Casey came home from the city. Heath was staying with April, without Irene of Bianca knowing, he had been released by the police without any charges, because although he did have a conversation with Geoffrey King asking him to help to stop Brax from leaving Summer Bay, he didn't ask Geoffrey King to arrange for Charlie to be shot, so they had no choice but to let him go, he went home to find Brax had thrown his clothes out onto the street, Casey had tried to talk Brax out of it, but Brax was having none of it, he told Casey, what Heath did and, Casey was disappointed that Heath would do that to his girlfriend's mother, but he was still his brother, Heath tried to apologise but Brax wasnt interested and Casey was stuck in an awkward position because he loved Ruby and hated how she was feeling right now, then he had Brax who was also hurting at the loss of his girlfriend, and whether Heath pulled the trigger or not to shoot Charlie he must have known going to Geoffrey King would be the worst thing he could do, so Casey had to let Brax throw Heath out and say nothing for now.

April found Heath sleeping in the beach and offered him to stay with her, providing Irene or her sister didn't find out, she had already had a lecture from Bianca when she found out April's first time was with Heath, of all the people she could have chosen, Bianca asked why did it have to be Heath, but really Bianca was only saying that because she felt guilty about choosing Liam instead of Heath.

Geoffrey King was also eventually released on bail, but unlike Heath the charges against him weren't dropped because his phone records showed him having regular calls with one of his associates who was also the same person that visited Jake Pirovic in jail, so they had more investigating to do where he was concerned, they were convinced he knew more about Charli'e shooting than he was saying it was just proving it, a warrant was issued for the arrest of the associate who had conveniently disappeared, however the police were confident they would find him, it was just a matter of when. As part of Goeffrey King's bail conditions were that he wasn't allowed anywhere near Daryl Braxton or Ruby Buckton, the police suggested that he might want to think about not going anywhere near Summer Bay because of the risk of bumping into Daryll Braxton, or Ruby Buckton, because if he came within a 100 metres of either Brax or Ruby then he would be arrested.

Brax told Casey that under no circumstances was he to tell Ruby what Heath did, that if she asked why Heath isn't living with them, he was to tell her that Heath had decided he didn't want to live with them anymore, Heath wouldn't say anything different without having to tell Ruby that he was partly responsible for Charlie's death and Brax knew Ruby would never be able to forgive that and Heath hadn't told April what he'd done either so he wouldn't want his only ally, so he wouldn't want to lose that.

Charlie's doctor told Charlie that she had informed DI Robertson that she was well enough to go home. that he had told her someone would be there later to collect Charlie, Charlie just had to sit and wait, Charlie asked if she would need any further checkups once she left, the doctor told her no she would be ok and there should be no complications.

This was it she thought, the start of her knew life somewhere else, she hoped that she wouldn't be stupid enough to make the same mistakes again, as this had been a very big wake up call and. now she had been given a second chance she was determined to do things right this time and not get sucked in liked she did with Brax, she was going to be giveing men a wide birth for a while.

A little while later Detective Sergeant Williams arrived, Charlie was suspicious and asked for Identification just to make sure that this woman standing in her room was who she said she was, Charlie nearly died so she wasn't taking any chances, irritated that Charlie should question who she was DS Williams showed her warrant card and was relieved when Charlie suggested they leave as soon as possible, DS Williams was on strict orders to make sure Charlie was taken to the Airport as arranged, by DI Robertson and he would not be pleased if anything went wrong and would probably have DS Williams put back in uniform, so she was keen to make sure she didn't mess this up.

Whilst on route to the airport Charlie saw a sign to for Yabbie Creek and Summer Bay, she had tears in her eyes when she thought of Ruby all by herself having to cope without her. DS Williams asked her if she was ok and, Charlie said she was going to miss her old life, DS Williams said she couldn't imagine how Charlie was feeling, but told her that maybe her new life would be better than her old life, Charlie said she doubted that. DS Williams said that she knew what happened, Charlie thought she was judging her, but DS Williams said she wasn't, she didn't know her to judge her.

They arrived at the airport and DS Williams escorted Charlie inside giving her an envelope which contained a new passport and, tickets as well as details of the bank account Morag had opened for her.

DS Williams escorted Charlie right up to her getting on the plane, she wished Charlie good luck and, told her she had to leave her now, that she would be met by someone at the other end who would take her to where she was going.

Ruby was on the beach looking up at the sky, just watching the planes go over and, always said goodbye to Charlie not sure which one Charlie would be on, hoping that each one she saw would be the one that Charlie was on going to start her new life, she hoped that wherever Charlie was going that she would be happy.

Brax was outside the restaurant watching Ruby and he too looked up at the plane going somewhere far away and thought about Charlie and just how much he missed her, that if he could have done things differently then maybe Charlie would still be alive.

DS Williams got back to her car and, made a call to someone telling them that everything had gone according to plan, she started the engine and drove off.

Charlie was seated in first class looking through all at her new life, she looked out of the window when the plane went over Summer Bay, thinking about Ruby, she told Ruby to be happy, when someone turned around and said talking to yourself was a sign of madness, Charlie was shocked when she heard the voice and, asked what they were doing there, that she never expected to see them again, the mystery person said Charlie didn't think she would be starting her new life on her own did she, Charlie said it was so good to see them and, if they were going to be part of her new life then maybe it would be more bearable leaving Ruby behind. They both smiled at each other, knowing that everything was going to be ok, now that they had found each other again.

**That's the end of my version of what they should have done instead of killing Charlie off, hope you like the ending, I thought I would add an element of mystery as to who is the person Charlie has met on the plane. :-) Thanks for reading.**


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